SIFE students earn berth in two national competitions
Students from the Kirkwood Community College chapter of SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise), a volunteer business club, qualified for two separate national competitions during the past week. The team was one of eight to advance from the SIFE USA Midwest Regional Competition held on Wednesday, March 30, in Minneapolis, Minn. This came just five days after learning it was also selected as one of eight finalists, from nearly 200 entries, for the Sam’s Club Environmental Sustainability Challenge.
A key project the team planned and executed this year was at McKinley Middle School in Cedar Rapids. Last December, the group installed motion sensors in restrooms and helped start the school’s environmental club. The project earned the team the prestigious Cedar Rapids Community School District’s Al Smith Special Partnership in Education Award earlier this year. “The success of the McKinley initiatives really helped propel us to the national success,” said SIFE Student President Danielle Brazant.
Twenty teams from around the Midwest competed in the Regional Competition by sharing their various projects related to social, environmental, entrepreneurial and economic factors designed to improve the quality of life. Kirkwood was named a champion. “This recognition really shows how our projects made a positive impact in the lives of others,” said Kirkwood SIFE Faculty Advisor Todd Saville. “I’m really proud of what this team accomplished. It was tough competition. We’re the only two-year school to advance from our region.” The students will head to back to Minneapolis on May 10-12 for the SIFE USA National Competition.
Before the competition, Kirkwood’s project team will travel to Walmart/Sam’s Club corporate headquarters in Bentonville, Ark. on April 21-22 to be recognized for its McKinley Middle School Environmental Sustainability project, which earned the team the honor. Students will present their project before Sam’s Club’s senior executives.